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The Crimson Tome
Created and run by Avos Malaranth, a retired Ko merchant, The Crimson Tome is a tavern/inn in Gold City that has been in business for two years. While it is not the most bustling establishment in Gold City, The Crimson Tome has gained a fame of peculiarity centered around the object of its namesake: a red book that rests upon the mantle above the bar's fireplace. In the two years that the tavern has been open, nobody has been able to decipher the language within the tome. Most claim that it is simply gibberish, but it has a second unique characteristic: whenever it is taken outside of the building, it vanishes from the carrier's possession and reappears, seemingly out of nowhere, onto the mantle above the fireplace. The building rests on the top of a small hill that is within eyesight of the city's coastline. Avos purchased it after he relinquished control of his trading firm to his son, Alistair. It is a two-story establishment, with the tavern on the first floor and six small, rentable rooms on the second. In the back area behind the bar is a kitchen, Avos' quarters, and a staircase that leads down to the basement, where food, drinks and furnishings are stored. The establishment is primarily run by Avos, but he has three others in his employ to assist with housekeeping, bartending, and running the kitchen. Building's History Before Avos purchased it, the building had been vacant for the previous century. While almost nobody in Gold City remembers precisely why, the general public has mostly avoided and ignored it. Whispers of the elderly suggest that it was lair to some sort of abomination at one point in time, while others say it was the gathering place of an ancient cult. Fortunately, Avos was not a superstitious man and saw only a building that cost next to nothing. He purchased it for a quarter the amount a normal building that size would cost, and immediately began renovations that would last half a year. When he first entered the soon-to-be-tavern, it was filled primarily with dust. In fact, Avos was surprised at the complete lack of anything within. Normally, abandoned houses were decrepit, vandalized and filled with relics that previous owners did not care to bring with them. This building, on the other hand, looked as though nobody had ever set foot inside. The only evidence that someone had indeed stood within those walls was a single red book that sat on a mantle above the fireplace in the main room. After his first visit, Avos put the book in his travel sack, determined to bring it to an acquaintance of his that was a scholar of ancient languages. Upon arriving home, however, he discovered that the book had vanished. Annoyed, but otherwise not concerned, he returned the next day to begin cleaning the building and found the book back in its place on the mantle. Further attempts to remove the book from the building had the same result: it would vanish, and then reappear on the mantle. Eventually, he had experts brought in to examine it, but nobody was able to read it or dispel the magic that caused its constant return. Avos eventually gave up and decided that the oddity of the book could be used to peak public interest, and so named his establishment "The Crimson Tome."